Synonyms of delicate

delicate

adjective

ˈde-li-kət 

1

as in subtle

satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness

a heavy sauce would spoil the delicate flavor of this fish

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• exquisite
• elegant
• dainty
• rare
• refined
• nuanced
• extraordinary
• airy
• supreme
• fine
• superior
• prime
• fragile
• transcendent
• incomparable
• select
• choice
• selected
• superlative
• peerless
• unsurpassed
• frail
• preeminent
• picked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• robust
• sturdy
• coarse
• crude
• rough
• common
• ordinary
• average
• medium
• fair
• indifferent
• mediocre
• middling
• run-of-the-mill
• second-rate

2

as in sensitive

able to sense slight impressions or differences

only a person with delicate taste buds could tell the difference between these two wines

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensitive
• quick
• keen
• acute
• sharp
• fine
• perceptive
• subtle
• accurate
• precise
• good
• piercing
• sensible
• clear
• discerning
• receptive
• hypersensitive
• supersensitive
• oversensitive
• hair-trigger
• hyperacute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dull
• bad
• fading
• dulled
• insensitive
• dead
• deadened
• numb
• insensible
• dimmed
• imprecise
• inaccurate
• imperceptive

3

as in virtuoso

accomplished with trained ability

the delicate handling of a difficult diplomatic situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• virtuoso
• skillful
• artistic
• smooth
• expert
• artful
• masterful
• adroit
• deft
• dextrous
• dexterous
• masterly
• practised
• workmanlike
• bravura
• practiced
• creative
• adept
• adequate
• fancy
• facile
• capable
• ingenious
• neat
• cunning
• competent
• clever
• able

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crude
• amateur
• rude
• artless
• awkward
• unprofessional
• amateurish
• clumsy
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• unskillful
• incompetent
• klutzy
• inept

4

as in fragile

easily broken

delicate glassware that must be carefully wrapped for shipping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• brittle
• frail
• breakable
• fine
• weak
• frangible
• soft
• dainty
• short
• tenuous
• feeble
• gossamer
• slight
• flimsy
• friable
• crisp
• flaky
• shaky
• crispy
• crumbly
• spindly
• tender
• infirm
• flakey
• inelastic
• eggshell
• inflexible
• stiff
• crushable
• shivery
• embrittled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• sturdy
• tough
• substantial
• solid
• unbreakable
• rigid
• compact
• hard
• firm
• unyielding
• nonbreakable
• flexible
• elastic
• infrangible
• resilient
• supple
• rubbery
• springy
• stretch
• rubberlike
• stretchable

5

as in frail

easily injured without careful handling

the delicate ecosystem of the wetlands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• sensitive
• frail
• weak
• tender
• vulnerable
• soft
• brittle
• friable
• feeble
• breakable
• tenuous
• slight
• flimsy
• susceptible
• puny
• perishable
• crushable
• eggshell
• frangible
• yielding
• resistless
• unresistant
• nonhardy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tough
• substantial
• strong
• solid
• robust
• hard
• sound
• sturdy
• durable
• resistant
• rugged
• stiff
• firm
• hardy
• stout
• flinty
• unbreakable
• hardened
• tempered
• strengthened
• nonbreakable
• infrangible
• toughened
• inured

6

as in careful

hard to please

a person of delicate tastes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• careful
• dainty
• finicky
• nice
• particular
• fastidious
• demanding
• exacting
• meticulous
• finical
• selective
• picky
• fussy
• choosey
• pernickety
• choosy
• finicking
• persnickety
• old-maidish
• fussbudgety
• critical
• discerning
• insightful
• discriminating
• painstaking
• knowledgeable
• punctilious
• scrupulous
• captious
• hypercritical
• touchy
• overcritical
• squeamish
• petulant
• peevish
• ultrafastidious
• faultfinding
• hyperfastidious
• prissy
• overdemanding
• queasy
• prim
• prickly
• cavilling
• queazy
• caviling
• carping
• niminy-piminy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• flexible
• loose
• carefree
• breezy
• low-pressure
• relaxed
• affable
• lax
• lackadaisical
• unfussy
• lenient
• unfastidious
• permissive
• laid-back
• uncritical
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care
• undiscriminating
• indiscriminating

7

as in elegant

having qualities that appeal to a refined taste

delicate perfumes that only a connoisseur of scents would appreciate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• elegant
• exquisite
• rare
• fine
• select
• special
• dainty
• exceptional
• excellent
• exclusive
• choice
• wonderful
• outstanding
• premium
• recherché
• classic
• fancy
• great
• superb
• better
• fabulous
• high-grade
• marvellous
• marvelous
• sterling
• terrific
• splendid
• jewellike
• sensational
• elite
• noble
• superior
• stellar
• prime
• transcendent
• bijou
• first-rate
• first-class
• superlative
• top
• unsurpassed
• par excellence
• grand
• top-notch
• supernal
• tip-top
• ultrarare

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• gross
• commercial
• vulgar
• tasteless
• unrefined
• unpolished
• kitschy
• uncultivated
• raffish
• popular
• common
• ordinary
• uncultured
• rough-hewn
• lowbrow
• kitsch
• lesser
• average
• mediocre
• unsatisfactory
• inferior
• deficient
• second-class
• unacceptable
• mass-produced
• substandard
• low-grade
• wanting
• second-rate
• run-of-the-mill
• run-of-the-mine
• run-of-mine

8

as in weak

lacking bodily strength

a delicate child who was never allowed to play sports

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• weakened
• frail
• feeble
• soft
• faint
• disabled
• slight
• softened
• fragile
• languid
• tender
• vulnerable
• infirm
• enfeebled
• debilitated
• unsubstantial
• wimpy
• asthenic
• wasted
• paralyzed
• low
• prostrate
• tired
• effete
• injured
• exhausted
• down-and-out
• incapacitated
• wimpish
• weary
• enervated
• prostrated
• sapped
• damaged
• invalid
• drained
• unsteady
• rocky
• breakable
• decrepit
• flimsy
• susceptible
• powerless
• hurt
• dizzy
• impaired
• impotent
• woozy
• groggy
• broken-down
• flagging
• yielding
• resistless
• unsound
• harmed
• worn-out
• unresistant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerful
• strong
• mighty
• rugged
• muscular
• stout
• robust
• athletic
• sturdy
• sinewy
• tough
• hard
• beefy
• virile
• stalwart
• fit
• brawny
• hardy
• husky
• vigorous
• lusty
• hardened
• energetic
• able-bodied
• healthy
• sound
• fortified
• strengthened
• capable
• competent
• strapping
• energized
• toughened
• red-blooded
• hale
• recovering
• vitalized
• inured
• invigorated
• recuperating
• convalescing

9

as in nice

made or done with extreme care and accuracy

delicate measurements of brain tumors that are only possible using the latest medical technology

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• nice
• fine
• exact
• nuanced
• minute
• refined
• meticulous
• finespun
• trivial
• exacting
• hairsplitting
• petty
• particular
• hairline
• demanding
• insignificant
• frivolous
• trifling
• negligible
• finicky
• inconsiderable
• inconsequential
• fastidious
• fussy
• quibbling
• nitpicking
• picky
• piddling
• finicking
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• clear
• obvious
• plain
• evident
• apparent
• transparent
• inexact
• broad
• unmistakable
• manifest
• unambiguous
• palpable
• unequivocal
• indefinite
• clear-cut
• careless
• perspicuous
• open-and-shut
• sloppy
• patent
• heedless
• slipshod
• incautious
• slapdash

10

as in accurate

meeting the highest standard of accuracy

extremely delicate instruments such as an atomic clock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accurate
• precise
• mathematical
• fine
• rigorous
• careful
• close
• exact
• refined
• correct
• pinpoint
• strict
• spot-on
• definite
• subtle
• hairline
• definitive
• meticulous
• true
• right
• nice
• fastidious
• finicky
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• round
• inaccurate
• wrong
• approximate
• false
• loose
• incorrect
• imprecise
• careless
• inexact
• vague
• unclear
• questionable
• indefinite
• doubtful
• untrue
• dubious
• unreliable
• untrustworthy

11

as in gentle

not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect

a delicate breeze was floating in from the open window

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gentle
• soothing
• soft
• mellow
• mild
• light
• benign
• bland
• tender
• smooth
• quiet
• serene
• balmy
• calm
• peaceful
• tranquil
• nonabrasive
• compassionate
• easy
• placid
• softening
• pacific
• sleek
• merciful
• lenient
• slick
• emollient
• clement
• cushioning
• buffering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerful
• hard
• coarse
• caustic
• exquisite
• harsh
• intense
• severe
• rough
• abrasive
• stern
• fierce
• scathing
• strong
• violent
• forceful
• savage
• forcible
• ungentle
• rugged
• irritating
• stiff
• grim
• roughened
• gruff
• rude
• oppressive
• pitiless
• tyrannical
• roughening
• abrading
• heavy-handed
• tyrannic

12

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling

the delicate challenge of inviting two people who don't like each other to the same party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• sensitive
• tough
• complicated
• problematic
• problematical
• sticky
• thorny
• tricky
• touchy
• complex
• hairy
• knotty
• spiny
• ticklish
• serious
• hard
• intricate
• problem
• tricksy
• nasty
• prickly
• painful
• catchy
• dodgy
• abstract
• troublesome
• recondite
• abstruse
• involved
• vexing
• stubborn
• worrisome
• vexatious
• scabrous
• troublous
• demanding
• stressful
• exacting
• oppressive
• burdensome
• onerous
• inconvenient
• exhausting
• importunate
• discommoding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• easy
• uncomplicated
• straightforward
• manageable
• effortless
• painless
• undemanding
• unproblematic

Synonym Chooser

How is the word delicate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of delicate are choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, and rare. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

Where would choice be a reasonable alternative to delicate?

The words choice and delicate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

In what contexts can dainty take the place of delicate?

While the synonyms dainty and delicate are close in meaning, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

When can elegant be used instead of delicate?

Although the words elegant and delicate have much in common, elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When is it sensible to use exquisite instead of delicate?

The synonyms exquisite and delicate are sometimes interchangeable, but exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

When could rare be used to replace delicate?

The meanings of rare and delicate largely overlap; however, rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of delicate

The House narrowly passed the bill last month, and Senate Republicans have since been working to put their mark on the legislation, treading carefully so as not to throw off the delicate balance in the lower chamber. —Kaia Hubbard june 29, CBS News, 29 June 2025

Other Republicans have indicated the same, teeing up what could be a series of tough votes for leadership to keep their delicate compromise intact. —David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025

Entertaining the fans is one thing, assaulting the delicate instrument that is our ears is quite another. —Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025

If regular Jenga is like performing delicate surgery, this extra large version from a different company is like performing a dangerous game of minesweeper. —Parker Hall, Wired News, 21 June 2025